Word and pseudoword superiority effects in Italian–English bilinguals

Abstract

Two indices of automatic orthographic processing, the word and pseudoword superiority effects, were explored in native Italian speakers familiar with English (late learners) and native English-speaking controls unfamiliar with Italian. Participants performed a forced-choice letter identification task with five categories of words: Italian words and pseudowords, English words and pseudowords, and nonwords. Native Italian speakers showed superiority effects for both languages, whereas English-speaking controls showed superiority effects only for English. These results suggest that orthographic processing can become automatic with extensive training in late bilinguals.